What is smoothing?

Smoothing is used to approximate the data to allow for easier pattern recognition while simultaneously reducing the noise of the data set. Furthermore, people react emotionally at different speeds, so one person might react 0.2 seconds after the event, while another might take up to a second. Low levels of smoothing counteract this.

When you first visit a project page, the data has already been smoothed by a small factor, depending on various details such as the length of the media. If you select ‘Chart views’ you will see the graphs are by default presented with a smoothing number >1. We use a moving point average when charting a smoothed line. So, for example, if smoothing=3, averages of 3 consecutive seconds are used for each data point that is plotted.

To change the smoothing level, select the 'Chart Views' tab as indicated in the image below. The slider can then be used to make adjustments.

Please note, when using the export function, the exported data will be automatically smoothed to the selected level. To export the raw data, set the smoothing level to 1.